Hoi An Riverside

About Hoi An Riverside

Hoi An is a historically delightful town a town located in Central Vietnam situated in the Quang Nam Province. It is located 40 minutes drive from the popular Da Nang airport. Hugging the river and coastline, Hoi An has a population of 120,000 and has was named a World Heritage Site in 1999. Hoi An is historically known as Faifo and translates as beautiful meeting place. It is the city's history district due to the exceptional preservation of buildings, street design and the trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century.

(Above: old wooden ships anchored in one of the many canals near the Ancient Town)

The Hoi An RiversidesAncient Town located right in the heart of is the main attraction for visitors. The face of the Old Town has preserved its incredible legacy of unique Japanese merchant houses, Chinese temples and ancient tea warehouses. The early history of Hoi An is that of the Cham people (see My Son Sanctuary) as they occupied much of the central and lower parts of Vietnam. By the 14th century, they had migrated south toward Nha Trang. In the 18th and 19th Century, Hoi An was considered the best port for trading in all of south-east Asia. Hoi An also had strong ties to ceramic trade. Shipwreck discoveries have shown that Vietnamese and Asian ceramics were transported from Hoi An to as far as Sinai, Egypt. In the last 200 years, Hoi An is considered to be almost untouched and unchanged in comparison to the rest of Vietnam.

(Above: The traditional lantern festival takes place along the Hoi An Riverside)

Today, the town and Hoi An Riverside is a tourist attraction because of its history, traditional architecture and crafts such as textiles and ceramics. Additionally, Hoi An and sourrounding areas offer a vast array of activities such as motorbike/bicycle tours, boat trips, markets, museums and most noteworthy, the range of cooking classes that are distinct to this region. Furthermore, Hoi An is especially famous for its range of tailor stores that offer clothing and shoes suited to your exact needs. Most appealing is the cheap prices, only a fraction of what you will pay overseas.

(Above: Hoi An Market at nighttime offers everything from food and clothing to special ornaments and jewellery)

The weather in Hoi An varies quite frequently. Calm and mild weather can be experienced April through August. The rest of the year will change between rain, cold and hot and mild. This makes offshore activities such as visiting the Cham Islands preferable in the dryer and warmer seasons.